UPDATED -- The Progress was informed this evening that the suspect in this case has been arrested.

[Security image from Waffle House. Police are asking for help identifying the man with facial tattoos, suspected of robbing the restaurant early Saturday morning.]

Jasper Police are releasing a photo of a suspect in a robbery at the Waffle House (near Hwy. 108 intersection on Hwy. 515) in the early morning hours Saturday.

Detective Matt Dawkins said there are some details that are still being sorted out, but the suspect is known to have gotten away with about $500 from the Waffle House. Dawkins said at this time they are only saying robbery, not armed robbery.

Dawkins said the suspect is very distinctive looking with facial tattoos. They have been circulating the photo among law enforcement agencies hoping someone knows the identity.

They are asking the public to call the Jasper Police at 706-692-9110 if they have any information on person shown. Anonymous tips are welcome. Leave message if no answer for detectives.

The suspect is described as a white male, heavyset and over 6’1.”

The police are also asking for anyone with information on vehicles that might have been connected to the robbery between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. at the Waffle House on Highway 515 south of Jasper.

“We will definitely be following up some leads,” the detective said.

The same Waffle House was robbed by an armed man on December 24, 2016.

When asked if the robberies could be related, Dawkins said no way, “totally different.”

Published on Wednesday, 15 March 2017 10:09 | Written by Administrator

Ghost hunter and author Jeanne Wells at Fort Newnan in Blaine.

By Jeanne Wells

Author of forthcoming book on Georgia ghosts

The third smallest town in Georgia -Talking Rock - was originally part of the Cherokee Nation. Its name may have derived from a rock formation that echoed, or from the sound of water running over the rocks in the creek.

The Cherokee who lived in the surrounding area were eventually taken and held at an “Indigenous Peoples” removal fort called Fort Newnan. Fort Newnan is located in a community near Talking Rock called Blaine. The Fort’s location itself is believed to have been near the town’s Masonic Lodge. Established in 1838, the fortification was set up as a detainment camp and was used to round up the Cherokee before their long walk on the Trail of Tears.

Published on Wednesday, 15 March 2017 09:41 | Written by Christie Pool

{jcomments off}Jordan Simonds was the type of person “everyone wanted to know”

Jordan Simonds knew how to touch everyone’s heart. “He was amazing,” says longtime friend. “He knew what life was about.” Photo courtesy of family

Sixteen-year-old Jordan Matthew Simonds died Saturday, March 11 when the 2004 Jeep Liberty he was driving careened off an embankment on Salem Church Road.

Simonds, a PHS sophomore, was transported to Piedmont Mountainside Hospital and his 15-year-old passenger, Jed Groover, was taken by helicopter to Kennestone Hospital where he remains in intensive care.

The field of candidates for the schools superintendent position is much more crowded than expected, with 49 applications received by the school board before the February 28th deadline.

Currently, Dr. Charles Webb is serving as interim superintendent. He was hired on a six-month contract after Dr. Lula Mae Perry resigned on January 1st. Dr. Perry was initially hired as interim superintendent in 2013 to replace Dr. Ben Desper. A few weeks after taking office as interim, the school board at that time asked her to extend her initial contract.

Published on Wednesday, 15 March 2017 10:23 | Written by Administrator

Dr. Daniel T. Lindsey, a research scientist at NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service’s (NESDIS) Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), received the 2016 NOAA-David Johnson Award on March 10. The National Space Club and Foundation presented the award to Lindsey for his work with satellite imagery.

“I am honored to receive the NOAA-David Johnson Award,” Lindsey said. “I love working with satellite imagery, but I could not do any of this exciting work without the help from an incredibly talented team. So, I accept this award on behalf of them.”